Building The Death Star - PRODUCTION

I think 7mm looks better and agree it adds to the sense of scale. Fantastic job all the way around!


Will
 
I'm glad the pic helped :)

The shadows really make it tough to judge, but seeing the edge side by side I think makes it more clear.
Trench-Comp-Crop.jpg
 
I thought it already looked great, but sure, 7mm would be an improvement.
Just promise us you'll then move on. No more trench changes! You're too close to it and are on the path to madness. :lol ;)
 
I'm with Treadwell, hurry up already........LOL. I've been dying to see the rest of this paint job for a while now. Seriously, nice work though. :)
 
I thought it already looked great, but sure, 7mm would be an improvement.
Just promise us you'll then move on. No more trench changes! You're too close to it and are on the path to madness. :lol ;)


I hear ya man!

I did play with 6mm, running a quick test and can assure you that 6mm is noticably too tight.

I'll finish getting it all to 8mm today or tomorrow, then I'll start in again with one more go at it to get it closer to 7mm. I'll probably see if I can find styrene in .5mm or .75mm thickness, so in actuality it will be a draw between 7mm and 8mm (since if I go too far there's no real going back).

The current process (getting it to 8mm) has been slow due to the rounding off of the lower edge, and needing to compensate for that. Been a real ***** in fact. But again - that'll be done by tomorrow.

Getting it from 8mm to 7mm will go faster since it will be basic strips laid down (no compensating for goof ups), and if I use styrene that is slightly less than 1mm thick, it will be easier and faster to work with.

So, I hope that perhaps by this weekend Imay resume painting.
 
For today...

I got a sheet of .76mm thick styrene, as opposed to a full 1mm. I did this because:
1.) Didn't want to go too far (being conservative), and
2.) Its notably easier to work with

Believe it or not (and don't throw anything at me), I do think the .25 makes a visual difference, and the full 1mm would be better. But believe me, I do know that is splitting hairs and I'm perfectly fine with it at what it is.

060809004.jpg


To the left is the 8mm, to the right is the 7mm (7.25mm actually)

zzz060809004.jpg


zzzz060809004.jpg
 
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Good job. These and Brush and Ink are all I've used for years. It works like those old pains in the a$$. You get exactly the same line quality.

Laffo.
 
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Actually, what this is is a test...

And Feek, contact paper is close.

I figured since I now have hi-res shots of the surface of the original, I could make "texture maps". I copied and pasted clear areas of speckle on the shots of the original, and just repeated until I had a full image of just plain speckle off the original.

I printed this out on Avery brand self-adhesive clear label sheets, and stuck a block of it on the model.

So...

What you're looking at is an applique afterall. The block in the image I posted represents about the largest sized block of speckle found on the Death Star. The self-adhesive clear label sheets adhered to the compound curves fairly well. Though if you look close at the image, you can see some deviation on the edges.

But, a few things...

First; this block is larger than I'd actually be doing on the model. All the sections to be used on the model would be more narrow, or shorter, and thus should conform to the compound curves much better.

Second, this area on the model was neither sanded or cleaned prior to me laying down the test section, so that may be playing a negative role regarding the adhision.

Third, this block was cut with 90-degree angles; no curvature at the top or bottom edges, and no angling in of the side eges.

Finally, there is no flat clear coat sealing it over.
 
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Frankly, I think this is a strongly viable option. Keep in mind what I just mentioned above regarding adhesion.

Also, consider:

--The control I'd have over the consistency of the speckle pattern
--Control over color (I can simply adjust the brightness and color values prior to printing)
--Control over the granularity of the speckle; larger or smaller specks by increasing or decreasing the size of the printed image
--This method would eliminate the need for masking, and for spraying multiple passes with various rattle cans

I'll leave this test block on for a couple of days and see how it goes. I've used this clear adhesive "paper" on models before with no peeling concerns, however its been on flat surfaces with a clear coat seal.

One unanswered/untested quesiton is how it would go drilling holes for lights through the applique...
 
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